


Ellen Levin

by SeaSpectre160



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Mild Gwevin, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-14
Updated: 2008-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-11 00:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2046045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaSpectre160/pseuds/SeaSpectre160
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin saves a little girl from her abusive father, but can't help that the guy looks familiar. Could it be..?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Familiarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's fanfic #2! 
> 
> Yet another story about Kevin.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a site for fans. Not owners. Get it?

"Three tickets for 'Doom from Beyond.'"

The ticket vendor took a closer look at his teenaged customer through his thick glasses. “Aren’t you a little old for this movie, son?”

"Hey, you're never too old for a good sci-fi. Three tickets." He dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet. As a few coins clattered to the counter, it became clear that the guy didn't have enough money. The old vendor glared at him. "Uh, do you take I.O.U.s?" Realising that that wasn't going to cut it, he turned to a boy and girl waiting by the entrance. "Hey, Tennyson! Got any money?" he called.

Ben rolled his eyes as he walked over and counted out the cash. "Figures you wouldn't have enough." He slid the money over to the vendor, who handed him three movie tickets. "You owe me, Kevin."

Kevin shrugged and followed him back over to their friend. "Isn’t that a surprise?" he commented sarcastically. Kevin was always in debt with one, two, or maybe a dozen people at once. "So Gwen, you gonna need someone to hold on to?"

Gwen cocked an eyebrow. "It’s rated G," she pointed out.

"So?" Gwen laughed and started dragging her cousin and friend/boyfriend through the near-empty lobby to the theatre.

"So why exactly did we come to see a kids’ movie?" Ben asked as they joined the short line.

"’Cuz I like laughing at their pathetic excuses for aliens," Kevin replied, "I swear, they just can’t get it right."

As the group was about to enter the cinema, they heard an angry yell.

"Stupid girl! Get up, you klutzy kid!"

They turned to see a man covered in soda and popcorn. At his feet was a little girl – barely six years old, by the looks of it – sprawled on the floor holding an empty cup and popcorn bag. The man grabbed her furiously by one of her short brown pigtails and dragged the now crying child to her feet. "What a waste!" he shouted, "This is what I get for bringing you!"

"Daddy, I’m sorry!" the girl wailed. Her father only pulled harder, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Sorry? Is that all I hear from you? Why don’t you do something useful for a change, and shut up?" He let go and swung at her, just missing as she screamed and stumbled back.

"Hey!" Kevin dropped his popcorn, running towards the pair. He grabbed the man’s wrist as he attempted to hit his daughter again. "Leave the kid alone."

As Kevin took a closer look at the man’s face, he realised that he'd met this guy before. But where, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Mind your own business, punk." The guy cuffed him on the jaw with his free hand, causing him to release his grip and reel backward, clutching his now bruised face. "Ill deal with this little freak any way I want to."

Freak. The word echoed over and over in Kevin’s mind. He’d heard that word tons of times before, mostly in reference to himself, from tons of people. But he remembered that particular voice more vividly than the others. He knew exactly who he was dealing with. The realisation made him see red, and maybe it was why his next move was a little extreme.

He ran forward in a rage, hitting the man over the head – hard. The guy fell to the floor, groaning in pain.

As Kevin calmed down, he looked around, relieved that nobody but Ben and Gwen were there to see his outburst. They rushed over to him, shock on their faces.

"Overkill much, Kevin?" Gwen asked, "You didn’t have to hit him _that_ hard." Ben nodded in agreement.

Kevin shook his head. "You guys don’t know the half of it." He glared down at the man. "Forget the movie. There’s some stuff we’ve got to talk about – now." As he turned towards the exit, he felt a small tug on his hand. He looked down to see the child gazing up at him tearfully.

"Can I come with you?" Her voice shook with fear and sadness as more tears began welling up in her eyes. Kevin noticed she had a nasty bruise on her pale, skinny arm. He lifted her up and patted her on the back.

"Uh, you sure that's a good idea, Kev?" Ben asked.

Kevin nodded towards the man on the floor. "Would you rather leave her with that?"

Gwen and Ben paused to consider the possible outcomes, then followed Kevin to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I wonder what happens next! Oh, who am I kidding? I already know! Don't worry, the next part is on its way.


	2. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! 
> 
> Recap - Kevin and the gang saw a man beating on his six-year old daughter at the movies. Kevin came to her rescue, but recognized her father - before whacking him sensless, of course. Now they're leaving with the kid. Who is she? What is Kevin's connection to her father? Anyone who's seen my profile recently could probably guess. Anyone else - it's right here! 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ben 10, or any of its characters. But I DO own Ellie, Jeff, and Anna.

Kevin sat in the driver's seat as they headed to Bellville Trailer Park. Ben was up front on the passenger's side, and Gwen kept the little girl company in the back.

"So, what's your name?" Gwen asked softly.

The child sniffed and shook a bit, but didn't answer. "Her name's Ellie," Kevin replied darkly, "I've met her dad before, back when she was just a baby."

Gwen took a closer look at Ellie. She was silent, staring out the window. "And he did something awful to you, didn't he?" she asked.

Kevin's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. "Yeah."

Gwen gave Ellie a small smile. "It’s okay, Ellie," she whispered, "You're okay here with us. My name is Gwen, and this is Kevin and Ben." Ellie turned to face each of them, then snuggled into Gwen's lap and fell asleep.

* * *

They got to the trailer park in record time and pulled to a stop next to the Rustbucket. Ben retrieved the spare key from under the fake rock, and unlocked the door. Kevin carried Ellie to the back and gently laid her down on the bottom bunk. She rolled over and continued sleeping, sucking her thumb.

Ben, Gwen, and Kevin gathered around the RV's kitchen table. "So what happened, Kev?" Ben asked, "What'd Ellie's dad do to deserve getting whacked like that?"

Kevin stared at a spot on the table. "It was a long time ago," he muttered, "He did whatever he could to me just to let off some steam. I would've left earlier, but I had nowhere else to go. My mom's apartment was too far away, and he'd just find me anyways."

"But why would a scumbag like that go looking for you?" Gwen whispered.

"He'd have no choice. He's my father, too." He paused to let Ben and Gwen respond. Except for a gasp from each of them, they were silent.

* * *

_Ten-year-old Kevin huddled in the corner of the living room, behind the sofa. His mother was at the door, crying and begging to see her son, and like always, his father wouldn't let her in. It'd been that way for a month now, ever since she had to give him up after the fire._

_"He's my son too, Jeff!" she shrieked, "I have every right to see him!"_

_"Yeah, right! Last time I checked, you dumped the brat on me, Anna!"_

_"You know he's all that I've got, please!"_

_Kevin could hear the desperation in his mother's voice. If only her house hadn't burned down. He'd still be living with her; he'd still be able to see her. Going over to the door was no option, not after what happened last time. He was still sore from that encounter._

_"Then you've got nothing, b-" Kevin clapped his hands over his ears. He hated it when his dad swore, especially at his mom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one's a little short, big whoop. Soooo... What'd you think of that? A review a day keeps the angry writers away!


	3. A little bit of sort-of action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter here! Only one more to go, believe it or not. Funny, I thought it would be longer. 
> 
> Recap: Kevin has revealed to Gwen and Ben that the little girl he saved is his younger half-sister Ellen, or Ellie. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Me no own Ben 10 Alien Force or characters. I own Ellie, Jeff, and Anna.

Ben and Gwen sat in silence, taking in what Kevin had told them. Their friend was slumped over at the table, head in his hands.

"His girlfriend – or maybe ex-girlfriend, I have no idea what happened to her – Natasha, she's Ellie's mother. She dumped her on us a couple of weeks before I ran away." Gwen reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "When I left, I was planning on going to my mom's house. She called the day before and I got her address. A few problems came up, though. Mostly me falling asleep on the subway and missing my stop. And I wound up in New York instead. She's supposed to live in an area called 'Upstream Ways.'"

"'Upstream Ways?'" Ben cried, "That's only half an hour from here!"

Ben and Gwen sat in silence, taking in what Kevin had told them. Their friend was slumped over at the table, head in his hands.

"His girlfriend – or maybe ex-girlfriend, I have no idea what happened to her – Natasha, she's Ellie's mother. She dumped her on us a couple of weeks before I ran away." Gwen reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "When I left, I was planning on going to my mom's house. She called the day before and I got her address. A few problems came up, though. Mostly me falling asleep on the subway and missing my stop. And I wound up in New York instead. She's supposed to live in an area called 'Upstream Ways.'"

"'Upstream Ways?'" Ben cried, "That's only half an hour from here!"

* * *

Kevin pulled his car up in front of a small house on a quiet city street half an hour later. He checked the weathered old piece of paper he'd kept in his pocket for years, comparing the house number and street name. "This is the place."

He stepped out and walked up to the door, Ben, Gwen, and Ellie right behind him. He knocked, and surprisingly, it swung open instantly. Kevin took a look inside and gasped. The room was completely demolished. Furniture lay in chunks all over the floor, photographs were knocked over, their glass frames shattered, and the TV was still on, despite the cracked screen.

"Oh, no," Gwen whispered, once again placing her hand on Kevin's shoulder, "What happened in here?"

"It can't be good." Kevin's voice was tinged with dark worry. He hurried to check each room. Gwen followed him around, holding a confused Ellie in her arms, while Ben ducked back out the front door. He returned a minute later, huffing and puffing as the others finished their unsuccessful search.

"I just went next door to talk to the neighbours... you know, ask if they saw anything," he announced, "Nobody... nobody's home there, either. The entire front room was trashed; even the radio was still left on, and on a pretty lousy station. I think we might be the only people on the street. There's no sign of life anywhere around here."

"Okay, that's weird,” Gwen mused aloud, "Something's not right here. An entire neighbourhood does not vanish without a trace."

"Exactly. And they didn't, because I _found_ a trace." Ben held up a shiny metal mask. Kevin recognized it all too well. It was a photonic displacer used commonly by their enemies: the DNAliens. He took the mask and looked it over.

"This is bad, very bad," he muttered, "Whatever they're planning must involve those people, and who knows what they'll do to them once they don't need them anymore."

Ben and Gwen nodded. "Let me see the mask," Gwen requested, "I should be able to track them with it."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were speeding along the highway towards the abandoned steel mine Gwen had seen in her vision. After much debate, it was decided that Ellie would go with them – it wasn't like they had any other options, anyway – but would have to leave with her brother the second things got ugly. The girl still had no idea she was Kevin's little sister. She'd insisted she was an only child when Gwen had patiently asked her about her family. Kevin figured it would be safer to tell her after it was all over.

The mine looked like a total dump from the outside. The peeling sign was half-eaten by termites and rot, weeds grew unchecked everywhere, and the lock and chains barring the door were completely covered in rust.

"Why is it that the bad guys always build their hideouts in dumps like this?" Ben complained, "With all those photonic shields, they could just rent a warehouse or something. At least then we don't have to go so far out of the way."

Even though they could've taken out the door with no problem at all, the group decided to try the stealthy approach, go around back, and scale the fence – assuming it didn't fall down the moment they touched it – just to be safe. An unbelievable sight met their eyes on the other side. DNAliens were everywhere, which was no surprise. A few were on guard duty; the others were pushing rusty, creaky carts loaded with rocks.

"What do you think they're doing with all that iron ore?" Ben asked in a hushed tone as they hid behind an old shack. Ellie hugged Gwen tighter in fear.

"My guess is that they need it for construction purposes," Gwen whispered back, "We did destroy their weather tower, ship, and main base, after all. But you need heat to forge it. How can they do that when they need cold to survive?"

Kevin gasped in realization. "They can't. They're using all those people to do the work for them. And if they've developed more parasites, then once they've finished that part of the job..." He trailed off, knowing his friends understood.

Without a word, they snuck over to the forge building and stealthily climbed in through a window. They hid behind a stack of barrels in the corner, hoping that none of the DNAliens on guard – all wearing protective suits to shield them from the heat – would see them.

Dozens of people were slaving away, some – even little kids – were pouring the rubble from the mines into giant vats, while others worked to keep the fire in the forges going. Kevin searched the crowd, checking every face. Then he finally spotted the one he was looking for. She was shovelling coal only a few feet from their hiding place. Her raven black hair and dark eyes were identical to his. There was no mistaking it, despite all the years that had passed since he'd last seen her.

"Mom!" he cried impulsively – and perhaps a little too loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off, do NOT, plz DO NOT point out that 'Upstream Way' is a stupid name. I needed it to be something not too fancy. 
> 
> So, what will happen next? Next chapter is the last.


	4. Relief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the final chapter of 'Ellen Levin'. Once again, it's a little short, but pretty much all my fanfics will be. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force, or any of its characters. I totally own Ellie, Anna, and Jeff.

Everyone turned to stare at the sound of his voice. Kevin glanced at his friends. "That was too loud, wasn't it?"

"You think?" Gwen hissed.

All the on-duty DNAliens on guard screeched and ran towards them. Ben reached instinctively for the Omnitrix, and Gwen's hands glowed hot pink, but Kevin only had eyes for his mother. All of her attention had been focused on him as she realised who he was. The two of them collapsed into a tight embrace as chaos broke out all around them. Anna trembled as she pulled back and looked over her son.

"K-Kevin? I don't believe it! It's really you!" She threw herself around him again – a difficult feat, considering he'd grown taller than her.

Before Kevin had a chance to say anything, something hit him on the back – hard – sending him and Anna to the floor. He looked up and saw Gwen standing nearby, her arms outstretched. A portion of the wall beside them had suddenly acquired a patch of ice on its surface. The DNAliens were armed with their freeze-ray guns. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Kevin nodded a thank-you to Gwen before getting up and half-dragging his mother over to Ellie, who was still huddled in the corner, terror in her eyes.

"Mom, you have to get out of here. Take Ellie. My friends and I will clear a path." He put his shaking sister in his mother's arms.

"B-but..." Anna peeked out at the crowd of aliens battling Gwen and Ben – who had by then gone Swampfire. Of course she was more focused on the other aliens.

"Don't worry. Those guys aren't as tough as you'd think. I'll be fine." He touched the wall, absorbing its metallic properties, and joined the fight.

* * *

Anna held on tightly to the little girl Kevin had handed over to her as she crouched behind the barrels. It was unbelievable enough that her son was still alive, considering his father's behaviour, but the fact that he was battling aliens? That seemed impossible! But she was there, watching him and his friends making short work of the bizarre and frightening monsters.

The thing that truly puzzled Anna was how Kevin had covered himself with a metal armour – almost like a second skin – by simply touching the wall. She remembered a few strange experiences when Kevin was a child – power outages whenever he threw a tantrum, the microwave overloading when he was overexcited, and that one time all the lights had started flickering when he fell and broke his arm – but nothing like this had ever happened before.

* * *

Kevin swung at one of the DNAliens, sending it reeling back up against a creaky old guardrail. These guys weren't putting up much of a decent fight. Of course, they thrived on cold temperatures, and the temperature in here was near-boiling.

Off to his right, Gwen was getting the prisoners to safety. The DNAliens had begun to lower the gates, but Gwen's force fields were holding it firmly in place. All the prisoners raced out, including Kevin's mother, with Ellie in her arms.

"Everyone out!" Ben – or Swampfire – shouted, "That means you guys, too! I'm taking this whole place down!" Kevin took a quick look around to make sure everyone was out – at least, anyone who wasn't a DNAlien – then raced out the doorway. Gwen dropped the gate and streaked after him, grabbing his hand as she caught up. The entire building collapsed behind them. Gwen and Kevin stopped and stared as the dust settled, searching for signs of life. "Ben?" Gwen called.

Then an odd sight: vines growing rapidly from the debris. They twisted together, re-forming into Swampfire. Ben deactivated the Omnitrix, returning to normal. "Maybe I shouldn’t ever try that again," he panted, leaning on a fallen beam for support.

* * *

Sirens flashed as an officer banged on Mr. Levin's door. Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Anna, clutching Ellie, watched the scene at a safe distance. Jeff came out in cuffs, marched towards a squad car by two cops. Kevin hesitated, then walked over.

"What do you want?" his father snapped.

"What, not happy to see your son?"

"You!" He made a lunge at Kevin, but was restrained by one of the officers. "I was hoping I'd never have to see your sorry face again.

"Funny, so was I."

* * *

_Another harsh blow, this time to his shoulder. Kevin's fingertips finally reached the outlet, and the lights went out with a loud sputter. As his father look around, Kevin took advantage of the distraction and felt his way to his room. He clicked on his flashlight and checked the small mirror on the wall. The spot on his face where he'd been hit was all red. The bruise would noticeable by the time he got to school the next day – assuming he'd be able to get out of the house. He knew the teachers and his few friends would ask about it. They always did. Another dreaded half-hour in the guidance counsellor's office awaited him. She would again ask him about his home life, but he wouldn't say a word._

* * *

Kevin took one last glare at his father before stalking back to the others. Gwen gave him a quick hug as they watched Mr. Levin being driven away for good.

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I really hope you liked it!


End file.
